Drabbles for the Troublesome
by Splenda
Summary: A collection of drabbles all ShikaTema for your reading pleasure. And some Ino bashing just for the fun of things. [ShikaTema]
1. Pickle Jar

Disclaimer: I do not own any piece of Naruto, its production, or characters.

Author's Note: Yea, I finally started a book of drabbles. It's all ShikaTema, but eventually I'll put one up of random Naruto pairings. Oh, and none of these chapters are connected unless I say otherwise. Enjoy!

* * *

It was a Sunday afternoon and after long hours of almost nothing, hunger was digging at Temari. And there was almost no food to eat. Just great. For the past half hour, she had seriously considered running to the closest store and buying whatever she could get a hold of. But of course, it was Kankuro's week with the money and he was nowhere to be found. Bastard.

"How about a sandwich?"

Temari gave Shikamaru a look and he dove back into the cupboards, searching for something else. He had wandered over not too long ago and agreed to help her find something to eat. But so far, he hadn't helped in the least. In fact, he was only making it worse, running around suggesting random things that she _didn't_ have in the house.

Drawn from her thoughts, she looked down in front of her where Shikamaru had just placed a jar. Well, it seemed like the only thing he could find was pickles.

"Well… What do you expect me to do with it?"

"Eat them."

"It's not open though."

He growled and mumbled a few words, which she chose to ignore. Grabbing the jar again, he clutched it and twisted the top. Apparently expecting it to come off easily, he looked down when the lid refused to budge. Trying again he held his breath and pulled a little harder. Looking at Temari, he turned away from her and heaved some more. But the top just didn't want to come off.

Looking around, Shikamaru tried to find something that might help the stubborn lid. Nothing seemed to pop out. So he went for the next best thing he could think of; slamming the jar against the counter repeatedly.

"Stop it! You'll break the jar and then I'll have a huge mess to clean up!" Temari snatched the jar away from him and placed her hand on the top. Twisting, there was a familiar 'pop' and the jar was open. Setting it down on the counter, the two of them watched it in silence, as if it would come to life and hop away.

Finally, Shikamaru broke the silence. "Well, I loosened it for you."

Temari smiled and grabbed a pickle. "Suuuure."


	2. Shikamaru's Daydreams

Author's Note: This one will be longer, I promise! But remember, drabbles aren't meant to be long.

* * *

Ino giggled and hung off of Shikamaru's arm, brushing her lips against his cheek. She had him all to herself, what a perfect ending.

"I suggest you step off unless you want things to get ugly."

The blond turned around to hear who dared threaten her and came face-to-face with an assault, luckily dodged. Temari growled and shoved Ino backwards.

"I had him first and you think you can be all over him?"

"What are you talking about?" Ino demanded, shoving Temari back with a little more force. "I'm not going to fight with you over _my_ boyfriend!"

"_Your_ boyfriend? I beg to differ."

Mouth hanging open, Ino glared at her. Ok, now the bitch was going to get it. First, interrupting her perfect moment with the most wonderful man she'd ever laid eyes on, and now accusing her of stealing what was rightfully hers in the first place. Launching herself forward, she latched onto one of Temari's ponytails and pulled with every living force within her.

Temari yelped in pain and scratched at Ino. It was a heavily fueled battle. Or, at least how heavy you can get in a girl's fight when one doesn't want to get hurt and the other is trying to hit every inch she can possibly get her hands on. In other words, Temari was doing a much better job at winning this battle.

From the side, Shikamaru watched them go back and forth. Biting, punching, pulling, screaming. He was NOT about to step into this one. He was smarter then that. Oh no, this was ugly and he was not going to toil around in their argument.

Breathing heavily, Temari drew upon her stored strength and punched Ino away from her. The girl staggered and fell defeated to the side. Wiping her mouth, she cursed her and the complications that were all her fault. Smirking, she turned to Shikamaru and sauntered over to him. Wrapping an arm around his neck, she snuggled up into his arms and nipped at his ear.

"Shikamaru….Shikamaru…..Shikamaru…."

He moaned a reply and held her close.

"Shikamaru…..Shikamaru!"

---

Jolting awake, he looked around to find himself… sitting at a desk in school? Ah damn it! It had all been a dream! Mentally scolding himself for falling asleep and dreaming of his deepest fantasies, he tried to deal with the cold glare of the teacher. Gulping he avoided the looks of everyone.

Well, at least the end had come out right.


	3. A Fatal Bike Ride

Author's Note: Ha bitch! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! See, Temari belongs with Shikamaru! Not YOU! You got your ass kicked.

* * *

Shikamaru scowled and grumpily peddled his bike after hers. He wasn't some lap dog, so why was he the one carrying her purse? If any of the guys saw him, his entire reputation would come crumbling down. Damned troublesome woman, commanding him around. Worst part about it was he listened.

The next few seconds would come as a blur later on. All he could remember was Temari's bike swerving to the side and crashing. His wasn't far behind hers. And that she flew off, landing a few feet away, skidding across the pavement before hitting grass. She moaned and curled up into a fetal position.

He had gotten away with a few scraps, but totally ignored his wrecked bike to run to her side. She looked up at him, the edge of her lip starting to bleed as she bit down on it. Hard. Apparently she was trying her best not to cry.

Sighing, he bent down and checked her from head to toe, not missing _anything _in between. Lucky for him, she was too distracted for a gash on her knee to notice or care.

"Well, you're ok to walk home. Other then that knee wound and a few bumps, you're fine. I'll stash the bikes and I'll get them later. Or call up Shino. He only lives a block or two away."

Temari nodded, still trying to keep herself from howling out in pain and started to her feet. Just as soon as her left foot touched the ground did she fall back down. Luckily, Shikamaru held out his arms and caught her.

"Hey, you ok?"

"My ankle… It really hurts."

Gently, he set her down and touched his fingers to the exposed flesh of her ankle. It was a nasty purple and bruising fast. He watched her responses and he poked and prodded, eliciting groans of pain.

"It's sprained," he finally concluded.

"Great! How am I supposed to get home?!"

"Calm down. It's sprained, so you can't put pressure on it. But I can carry you on my back and I'll get you home." He bent over for her to grab onto his shoulders. "Come on, the sun's going down and we don't want to be out after dark."

Temari didn't move at first, but eventually, she grabbed a hold of him and pulled herself up onto his back. The throbbing was still there, but at least the rest of her body was starting to ease away the pain.

"God damn it woman!" Shikamaru wobbled as he stood and the two slammed into a tree as he used it for support. "You're heavy!"

Immediately, she lost her wounded-puppy-sweet act and smacked him across the back of the head. "You calling me fat crybaby?"

"No, I'm just saying you could be lighter."

"Oh, so I am fat?"

"That's not what I'm saying!"

"So you're just weak then?" Temari snickered and rested her head on his shoulder, peering at him smugly.

"Would you shut up so I can concentrate on getting you out of here without dropping you?"

She kept a smile on stayed resting on his shoulder, but she restrained herself from chastising him anymore. He was going way out of his way; she could at least give him the peace of mind he wanted.

Shikamaru had other things to think about as her chest rose up down into his back. That was one good thing to think about in the midst of their situation.


	4. Library Rampage

Author's Note: Leave it to Shikamaru to be thinking about Temari's boobs in a situation like that. Oh, and just to make sure you know, most of these are AU.

* * *

Temari flipped through the pages of some ancient book that nobody read anymore, looking for anything interesting. With exams approaching, she needed to be studying, but it was such a bore. Who wanted to read up about old guys in WWII or Einstein's theory of physics? Certainly not her.

Her attention was drawn from the book to a sudden noise beside her. A steady non-stop clicking, like a pen cap. Shikamaru was slumped in his chair, fiddling with a pen and obviously not taking notes.

Snatching the object away from him, she tucked it away under her book and glared at him. At least she was _trying _to concentrate. Not everybody could be Mister-I-Have-An-IQ-Of-Over-200-So-I-Don't-Have-To-Study-Unlike-You-Luzers.

Staring at his now empty hands, he looked for something better to do. Better in this case meant trying to do anything but study. And, it just so happened that he found the wonders of tapping his fingers against the hardwood library tabletop.

Once again, Temari looked to her side. He just couldn't stop being annoying could he?"

"Shhh!" He glanced up from his hands and at her. "It's a library; you're supposed to be _**quiet.**_" Looking forward again, she tried to read the page that she had flipped to.

Shikamaru frowned and stretched over to where she was, reading over her shoulder. Yawn. What a bore. He already knew all this stuff. But she didn't. Hahahahaha. That was one thing he had over her.

"Would you stop reading over my shoulder?" she asked, annoyed and about ready to beat him. He rolled his eyes and let her continue on.

Only a few minutes passed before he was over her shoulder again, shadow cast on the book. She twitched in aggravation and turned, opening her mouth to yell out some harsh insult, when he practically pounced on her.

His lips devoured hers and she never got to say what she had intended. Playfully nibbling on her tongue, he pulled away from her and smirked.

"No talking Temari, it's a library."


	5. Why am I With You?

Author's Note: This was wrote for **biacebaolck **who suggested it. Thanks a lot!!!

* * *

Ok, so Sasuke had a huge girl-gaggle base. Hell, the fan club had its own president. But that wasn't to say that Shikamaru didn't have his own admirers. After all, he was a pretty good looking guy with smarts and charm… when he wanted. So it wasn't a surprise that they decided to launch their fan attack after school when he was alone… for the most part.

"Agh, I just wanna get home."

"Shikamaru!"

"So troublesome."

"Shika-kun!"

"Just leave me alone."

Nothing more needed to be said before the group surrounding him vanished. Sighing in relief, he almost choked when he saw who drove them away.

"Now you just keep your distance!" Temari shouted after them all.

He shook his head and looked down. "Troublesome woman…"

"What did you say?" almost as soon as she got in sync with his steps did she start demanding answers. It was just like her.

"Nothing, nothing."

"It better be nothing!"

"At times I wonder why I'm with you," he mumbled under his breath. She was too overbearing for her own good. Sometimes worse then his mother and that was bad.

"What?" He looked at her. She had a puzzled look upon her face, innocence of the situation shining through. It was funny that she could be such a monster one moment and cuddly-cute the next. He blushed and looked away from her. He never had been able to resist her when she was like that. He sighed again, trying to remain calm.

"Troublesome…"

"What was that?!"

"Oh hi Naruto!" Shikamaru waved at a blond kid only a few paces from them, jogging to catch up.

Temari growled and balled up her fists, running after him. "Don't ignore me!"


	6. The Challenge Part 1

Author's Note: Ohmigosh, it's a two-part drabble. –GASP- That's new, but I assure you, it will be good. Oh, and they're playing chess because I don't know how to play Shougi.

* * *

"Ugh, Shikamaru this is so boring!"

His eye twitched in aggravation as he tried to concentrate on the pieces and the board. Chess was a game of strategy and predicting where your opponent is going to move next. Both things he was really good at… When not being distracted.

"Would you shut—"

Temari placed another piece forward and rolled her eyes, slouching on the table. "You win yet?"

"No… I would a lot faster if you would _shut up._" Taking her bishop, he rubbed his hands together and sighed. It was pointless to even try a game of logic with her. Sure, she was one of the smartest females he had ever met, but she lacked in patience.

"Check."

Temari ignored the King in danger and moved some useless pawn. Shikamaru didn't bother to tell her about the violation of rules in that. Instead, he made her happy and took the King with his Knight. Game over… Well, as far as she was concerned.

"That was dull. Can we do something more interesting?"

"You know Temari, you don't have the drive to do anything," Shikamaru observed while putting the pieces away.

"Uh-huh, and you do?" she shot back.

"At least I'll finish something that I start."

"If you're talking about the fact that you won, it's only because we were playing the game you're good at. Now I could win at say… Video games."

He chuckled and nodded. "Suuure you could."

"No, really, I could. My brother's play all the time and always beg me to be their dummy so they can practice."

"I bet you couldn't stand five minutes against me. Video games are the same as chess, they're all about logic." Shikamaru smirked and looked at her as if he was superior. "But if you insist, I guess I will prove it to you."

"And so what if I win this bet? What do I get?" Temari crossed her arms over her chest and copied his arrogant, twisted smile.

"I guess you can think of something if you win. And if I win…" Shikamaru scratched his chin and eyed her. "Oh, that's a good one."

"What?"

"Nothing. You can know after I'm done beating you. Come on, game of your choice."

---

Half an hour later, Temari flung the controller across the room and scowled. Somehow at the last second he had won and now she was at the whim of whatever he had thought up.

"So Temari, I guess that means you lose. My victory."

"Yea, yea whatever." Temari looked away from him and crossed her arms. "So, what's this magnificent thing you want from me?

Shikamaru stumbled over something to say and she couldn't help but notice his cheeks flush. Wow, was it that horrible? She had never seen him look nervous before… And although it killed her to admit it, the look on him was kind of cute.

"I um…"

"Just spit it out already."

"A date. With you," he blurted.

Temari took a second to realize what he had said before she also blushed. But it was more out of anger and agitation. "What was that?!"

"Great! I'll pick you up tomorrow!" And before anything else could be said, he scurried out her front door.


	7. The Challenge Part 2

Author's Note: Where we last left off Shikamaru had won the bet and the prize was a date with Temari. Will she bite his head off? Will Ino interrupt? Will it be fluffy bliss?!

* * *

'_Knock, knock, knock.'_

Temari nearly threw herself down the stairs to grab the door. God knows what Gaara and Kankuro would do if they got a hold of Shikamaru. She'd probably never see him again.

Opening the door she hid a smile as she examined her date. He was dressed nicely, casual jeans and a white dress shirt. Seemed like he had tried to look dressy on top and then slacked on the bottom. Interesting.

"Hey Kan!!! I'm out. I won't be out long." Closing the door behind herself she finally got a chance to greet Shikamaru. He paid little attention though, still kind of floored by her appearance.

"What… is there something on my face?" She asked, getting worried by his staring.

Shikamaru shook himself out of it and shook his head. She looked normal and yet… just, different. The jeans she wore like any other jeans, maybe just a little tighter. And the shirt was like anything else she might own, maybe just a little more revealing. And her hair was in the usual style. She just looked… prettier? No, that wasn't it. Sexier? That didn't sound right either, but that would have to settle for right now.

"So where are you taking me anyway?" she asked when they were in the car.

"It's a surprise. But we'll be there shortly. It's not far."

---

He had spoken the truth and it had only taken them about ten minutes to arrive at the… beach? When Temari gave him a questioning look, he just smiled and got out of the car. Moving around to the back, he popped the trunk and produced a wicker basket. It was corny, but in that moment, the prospect of a picnic on the desolate beach seemed nice.

Temari and Shikamaru walked side-by-side down the steps and onto the cooling sand. Once close enough to the lake that it barely touched their feet, Shikamaru set the basket down and the two settled onto the sand. Sure, he was a genius, but had he remembered to bring a blanket? No!

"It's nice out here," Temari muttered, ignoring the basket and its contents, instead, fixated on the sunset. It was breathtaking, the sight. All around her, the smells, the sounds. Everything.

Shikamaru nodded, falling back onto the sand, hands cradling his head. "I come here to escape. And watch the clouds. They're always nice here."

She giggled and took her eyes off him, now back to the sunset. Only a moment or so more and the sun would be completely gone. The stars, moon, and them. And no matter how annoying, there was a nagging voice in the back of her mind that kept reminding her how romantic all of this was.

"Hey Shikama—"

Lips pressed themselves against hers and she couldn't finish. Her initial reaction was overridden by her urge to return the action. So… Temari kissed back whole-heartedly. And when they pulled away, she was a little disappointed.

"Thanks," Shikamaru muttered. Funny, she was _just_ about to say that when… Well…

In an instant, Temari put back on her game face and shoved him. "Next time let me finish and then attack with me with your lips."


	8. Flushed

Author's Note: **Long update wait**. But finally, I have drabble eight. I like this one. It's so… them. In a weird sort of way. Set in modern day.

AU means Alternate Universe. AKA Modern Day.

* * *

Temari kicked at a snow hill. The fluffy snow scattered and rained back down in a shower of sparkles. The small beauty went unnoticed by her as she continued trudging through the unshoveled sidewalks. Her boots were slowly filling with snow and the coat she wore was considered to be a thin spring jacket. Her body was going numb from the abuse of winter. How she loathed the cold.

From a distance, Shikamaru noticed her obvious anger with the weather. He _had_ been on his way home, but he made a U-Turn and started in her direction. Any chance to poke a little fun at her misery was something that he would take up in stride.

"Nice day out huh?"

Temari looked up from the ground to see a very smug Shikamaru at her side. She scowled and looked back at her feet.

"So, how was your day?" Shikamaru dropped the attitude and fell into step with her.

"Cold."

"Ah. You like the cold?"

"It's cold."

"Mmmhmmm," Shikamaru fell silent as he saw the conversation was leading nowhere, much like their destination to which he had no idea of the whereabouts of.

A few moments passed in which both said nothing. Shikamaru only looked up after hearing the chattering of teeth. Beside him, Temari was hugging herself, shaking with cold. He chuckled and cleared his throat to pull her out of the 'ice-trance.'

"You cold by chance?"

Temari let out a huff of air that because white fog the moment it escaped her mouth. "It never snows in Suna."

"Could have figured as much." Shikamaru let out another heavy sigh and slipped off his coat. The wintry temperatures never bothered him. In fact, he thrived in this kind of weather. In her fury with the Konoha winter, she hadn't noticed him remove the coat. In a quick motion, he threw it over her shoulders and wrapped it around her shivering body.

Temari's eyes widened in surprise and she looked at him, now with only a long sleeve shirt on. She started to take it off but Shikamaru put a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll freeze without it." Gently, he guided her to the right, down a different road. "Let's get you inside for a few."

He led her to a coffee house where he ordered hot chocolate for the both of them. He set the small coffee mug before her on the table, steam rising up. Shikamaru sat opposite her, taking small sips, watching out the window.

Temari sneezed and hugged the two coats closer. She reached forward and took the cup, holding it to her lips without taking a sip.

"In Suna," she started suddenly. "I don't think there was ever a day that the sun wasn't out and the kids couldn't play outside." She took a small sip of the cocoa.

"Konoha has very cold winters, but they're beautiful."

"How can something so cold be something so beautiful?" Shikamaru looked up to see her emerald eyes gazing intently at him, mentally prodding for an answer. Cold and beautiful? He merely smiled, indulging in the irony that she wouldn't understand.

"You'd be surprised," he muttered. "You know, you're kind of cute when your cheeks are flushed."

Temari's eyes blazed up at the compliment and she shot him a glare promising death. By this time, he was already wearing a satisfied grin, staring back out the window.


	9. Shogi

Frustrated, Shikamaru furling his brows together and looked closely at the game board. Somehow, Temari had backed him into a corner and he was fighting to stay alive. How in the hell she had gotten him this close to losing? They had played about seven games already and he had her down in about six moves each. She didn't have the concentration to play Shogi.

From his half-lidded gaze, he shifted to look up at her. Painted across her face was a smug smile, proof that she knew her victory was close. Very close. It was a silent gloat.

The fact drove him crazy.

His scowl deepened and he reached forward to move his Knight. His fingers had barely skimmed the marble piece before he heard a small snort. Glancing back up her, he realized that it was her laughter. And from the look on her face, she was trying oh so hard to conceal it.

Changing ideas, he instead decided to take a stab in the dark and… Wait, that was it. A light flickered on in his brain and with ease, he moved his Rook, leaning back to give her his own smug grin. He had her cornered now. That was checkmate.

It took her a few seconds but as she scanned the board and her own pieces, her smile dropped away and she growled. Once more, he had defeated her.

"Looks like you just suck at Shogi. Guess we're done." Shikamaru moved to collect the pieces and put them away when Temari placed a hand on his arm. A wicked smile crossed her face that he immediately hated.

"One more game and this one decides it all. Deal?"

Eyeing her with curiosity he considered his two options. Either play again and most likely win as he had before, or call it quits and have her mock him. The answer was entirely too obvious.

He returned the grin with one of his own and started to set up the pieces once again. "You're on."

Moments later, the pieces had been set up once more and they glared each other down some before the game was to start. Shikamaru looked down at the board and found an easy move. He was about to shift his pawn forward when he heard a loud yawn from Temari.

She really did like making noises didn't she?

Fixing his eyes back on her, he watched her as she fidgeted with the zipper of her sweater. Pulling it down, she tugged it off and threw it off to the side. A whole new world just opened up for poor Shika.

Her skin stretched out in large expanses, wear an anything but modest shirt. The small number clung to her bodice, pressing tightly against the large swell of her breast. The cut dipped low, showing a generous amount of her cleavage which he was guilty to admit was a very pleasurable sight.

Gulping, he tried to calm down enough to regain his concentration. This little get-up had just thrown him through a loop and back. It was like looking upon a perfect woman, ignoring the troublesome personality of course. So perfect and entirely revealing that his eyes weren't the only ones enjoying themselves. He had a large duel with himself to keep from growing in places he didn't want her to notice he was.

Satisfied with the effect, Temari angled herself in such a way that her breasts showed the most and in a constant direct line of his vision. Now completely absorbed with dirty thoughts of the_ woman_ before him, Shikamaru moved forward for the next few turns without caring what went where.

After some time he started to gain his wits again and really **looked** at the board and found that he had three pieces left to her entire arsenal. It was this realization that forced him to look at the game and only the game. Temari noticed this sudden motivation to win and frowned, trying everything to gain his attention again. Eventually she was forced to drastic measures.

In the middle of his turn, she was at his side. One of her hands went to his hair where it roamed around. The other swirled itself around his chin before trailing to his chest. Her entire body was pressed up against him tightly and she found that for extra persuasion, her lips found his ear.

"You know, I wouldn't go there if I were you," she whispered, letting her lips barely skim his flesh. Shikamaru shivered under her touch and idiotically moved around his pieces.

Temari smirked and looked back to the board. Pushing one of her own pieces forward, she leaned back into his body. "Checkmate." And with that, she stood and sauntered off, an extra swing to her hips in completion of her act.

Shikamaru had totally fallen under her spell of oozing sexuality. And now with her gone he could take a look at his embarrassing lose. Grumbling, he saw that she was right and shoved the Shogi game away in disgust.

Now he needed a cold shower.


	10. Spread Your Wings and Fly

"_God, you are so pathetic Temari. Wasting your time, protecting the Nara boy? Are you stupid?" Tayuya ridiculed, scorn laced within._

"_Oh shut it Tayuya. You aren't any better, what with those idiots Jirobo, and Kidomaru. And the twins? Sakon and Ukon? Please. Shikamaru is better then all of you added together," Temari shot back, waving Tayuya's comment away._

"_Why you little—" The older girl jumped forward and grabbed a tight hold of Temari, throwing her to the ground. They hit with a terrifying 'crack' and hands latched everywhere. Hair, clothes, the neck, anyplace that would seem to do damage. Together they rolled around, crashing into school desks, punches flying left and right. The other students had made a ring around them, now chanting for the fight, eager to see violence._

_Tayuya, now bearing a badly bleeding lip, pulled Temari up by the neck of her shirt and roughly shoved her towards the open window. She stumbled back, not baring any scars of battle, and clung to the window ledge keeping herself from falling out the wide opened panel._

_But the fight wasn't over and Tayuya leapt forward with all her might, colliding head on with Temari. That was all it took and the blond girl was sent tumbling out the window and straight to the ground below._

_She fell from the second story. At impact, everything went black._

The hospital room was white and dull as Temari opened her eyes to look around. She had momentarily taken a nap, the nightmarish fall replaying itself over again. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. She had only come away with a sprained wrist, ankle, and some cuts and bruises everywhere. All of the wounds were healing nicely, leaving faint scars.

But what was worse then the minor injuries was her new fear. Since that day, she had not been able to go higher then ground level. When they had taken her to a third floor hospital room, she became hysterical until the doctors finally moved her down to the first floor. They had explained that because of the possible trauma the fall had caused her, she now suffered from Acrophobia, the fear of heights.

Her next week in the hospital was the slow healing of her wrist and ankle. It was also the attempt to rid her fear, but with no success. Whenever she was presented with a window, looking down a floor, she would immediately break into spasms of fear and coil up. It was no use. She had a death fear of heights.

It was Shikamaru who visited her the most during her time in the hospital. Gaara and Kankuro had come maybe once or twice, but Nara, he was there every day. He came as soon as visiting hours started and didn't leave until they ended. He just sat there, at the side of her bed, nervously twiddling his fingers.

They never talked about much whenever he came. In fact, she was surprised he would come at all. But they did make light conversation. He said he knew why the fight had started and was kind of guilty about the whole thing. He also mentioned that everyone at school was really worried and Tayuya had been suspended for two weeks. She took comfort in both little tidbits of information.

Other than that, they chatted about random topics. The weather, exams, friends, parties, what she was missing in school. It never got too deep, a threatening awkwardness always seeming to loom overhead.

One day, Shikamaru came up, just as visiting hours started, and smiled upon seeing Temari up and moving about.

"Hey, I have a surprise for you."

"Oh you do, do you? Bring me all the homework I've missed because that would just be the best news I've heard all week," Temari had the nasty habit of making everything she said sound sarcastic.

Shikamaru had grown used to this though and merely rolled his eyes, tugging out what looked like a scarf from his pocket. "Here, tie this around your eyes so you can't see and we'll be ready to go."

"Go?"

"You'll see…"

---

It was twenty minutes later and a car ride away that Temari finally got her surprise. As Shikamaru helped her from the car, she felt a sudden hard burst of wind. That didn't help her guesstimations at all, still at a loss to what this surprise was. Carefully, he guided her a few more steps and then gently tugged at the tie of the scarf.

"Spread your wings and fly Temari."

It fell from her face and she blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the sudden eruption of light. After she got her sight back, she gasped to see where it was he had brought her. They were standing at the very top of the Hokage Monument, only a few feet from the edge, the bottom falling away below her.

So high. So very high. It all smacked her in the face and she felt her breathing go ragged. Curling over, she felt the pressure of fear settle itself in her stomach but Shikamaru was there, gently holding her steady. And with that reassurance, she was able to slowly open her eyes again to the sight before her. Her back straightened until she stood tall and firm, facing head on the fear that had so clenched onto her this past week or so. And it was surprising that it was all thanks to Shikamaru in one small motion that he had made.

"See, told you you could do it."

Temari grinned wildly, feeling her confidence inflate her again and she whirled around to face him. Quick as a flash, she gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"Yea, but it was thanks to you Shikamaru."


End file.
